Sick Kid, No Insurance... Ack!

[Darsa]

Ugh, the stress is going to kill me, I just know it. :crazy2

My 13YO daughter's nurse called today while I was at work; DD came down to see her while she was at gym (which she loves). She complained of shortness of breath and pain when she was running around. Nurse checked her lungs and her oxygen levels, which were both excellent. I talked to her when she got home, and she said she's had this pain for some time, but she didn't want to concern me with it. She's had no fever, no congestion, no other pains at all. She exercises regularly and eats well (for a teenager, heh)

The real issue here is that I **REALLY** want to take her to the doctor for a thorough checkup, which wouldn't have been a problem before March. Unfortunately my husband was let go from his work at the end of February, and COBRA would have taken my whole paycheck and left us with nothing (considering we're awaiting an appeal of his unemployment denial). As it is right now we're living on a shoestring, and there is NO way I'd be able to finance a trip to the doctor without insurance.

I just don't know what to do, other than waiting for something bad to happen and take her to the hospital, and make payments. I'm at a total loss, and it kills me for my daughter to be in pain. I've looked into state-run insurances, and apparently we make too much money to be eligible for that....

UGH!! Okay, I'm done; this was more a vent than anything, if you lasted this long thanks for listening!

 

[wvjules]

Does she qualify for SCHIP? They have much higher income guidelines than Medicaid.

How is your relationship with her doctor? Maybe he/she will be willing to work something out with you.

ETA: Just read that you already looking into SCHIP.

If her pain is too bad and/or you are really worried I would go to the ER and work out a payment plan.

 

[java]

Does your state have any child healthcare freebies. Our state NJ covers children in just your situation. It might be worth looking into. It provides healthcare coverage for children of uninsured. Good luck and I hope she is feeling better.

 

[Cindy B]

If worse came to worse, you could go to those clinics set up in Walgreens and CVS. It wouldn't cost as much as a doctors visit and they are staffed with either PA's or CNP's.

I've used both (Walgreens and CVS) and had no problems with care--they are always thorough!

 

[mlynn]

NJ has the childcare health care I think Pa does too.
But if not call your local hospital and see if you have a free clinic in your area.

http://www.uniteforsight.org/freeclinics.php

 

[cteddiesgirl]

If she's still in pain, take her to the hospital. Mine (at least) gives discounts for non-insured. And you can work out a payment schedule.

If she's not still in pain. Do check out what is available in your state. I believe all states now have programs to take care of uninsured children (besides medicaid). Then get her to the doctor.

I hope she's feeling better soon.

 

[Imzadi]

If worse came to worse, you could go to those clinics set up in Walgreens and CVS. It wouldn't cost as much as a doctors visit and they are staffed with either PA's or CNP's.

I've used both (Walgreens and CVS) and had no problems with care--they are always thorough!

I was just coming here to post about them.
They post all the fees upfront, so you know what you are in for, and what you want to accept or reject in terms of services, or more indepth services.


NY also has free childcare services.

 

[CajunDixie]

OP if you'd at least tell people what state you're in then you may get some better advise.

I know here we have for profit and non-for profit hospitals. The "non" would be more likely to work with you or write of the bill completely than a for profit hospital.

 

[C.Ann]

If worse came to worse, you could go to those clinics set up in Walgreens and CVS. It wouldn't cost as much as a doctors visit and they are staffed with either PA's or CNP's.

I've used both (Walgreens and CVS) and had no problems with care--they are always thorough!

-------------------------

I don't know of a Walgreens around here, but in all of the CVS's I've been in, I've never seen these clinics.. Are they only in certain parts of the country? I'm in upstate NY..

Sounds pretty cool!

 

[DuchessAndKittens]

Darsa,
I am an RN and it bothers me to see people abusing the ER. With that said, I don't think taking your DD to the ER for shortness of breath and pain are abuse of the system at all. Those are alarming symptoms and if I were in your shoes, I would take my child and worry about the payments later. They will work with you; as a previous poster said, they will normally negotiate a smaller bill and will take small payments over an extended period of time. Good luck and I hope your DD feels better!

 

[Castlebound]

You need to look into short term health insurance. It usually has a high deductible but a low monthly cost. This can be used to cover the gap in your insurance coverage. The one we used through United Healthcare was 80/20 coverage and it was $112 month for our family of four. The main thing the insurance is good for is it will prevent your next insurance from not covering any preexisting conditions. At least in Missouri if you have a gap of more than 65 days in your coverage you next insurance does not have to cover any preexisting conditions.

 

[Tiggeroo]

Did you look into the federal program where they are paying 60% of cobra for unemployed persons?

 

[Chicago526]

Check into urgent care clinics in your area, they aren't as expensive as ER visits, I don't think.

 

[Castlebound]

Did you look into the federal program where they are paying 60% of cobra for unemployed persons?

My understanding is that you have to be able to collect unemployment to take part in that program.

 

[Imzadi]

-------------------------

I don't know of a Walgreens around here, but in all of the CVS's I've been in, I've never seen these clinics.. Are they only in certain parts of the country? I'm in upstate NY..

Sounds pretty cool!

We don't have one in NY state yet.
The closest type of clinic we have here in NYC is Duane Reade drugstore's program, which is pretty much the same. They have a brochure to look at, so you can see & compare the fees. Much quicker and easier than going to the E.R. or your doctor.

As for Walgreen's clinics, here is a thread from a few weeks ago, on the Budget Board. People can look up their state to see if one is nearby.

Walgreens Take Care Health free Clinic

 

[C.Ann]

We don't have one in NY state yet.
The closest type of clinic we have here in NYC is Duane Reade drugstore's program, which is pretty much the same. They have a brochure to look at, so you can see & compare the fees. Much quicker and easier than going to the E.R. or your doctor.

As for Walgreen's clinics, here is a thread from a few weeks ago, on the Budget Board. People can look up their state to see if one is nearby.

Walgreens Take Care Health free Clinic

----------------

Nope - no Walgreens either.. Thanks for the link though..

 

[jlima]

My understanding is that you have to be able to collect unemployment to take part in that program.

Not true. I have been working through Manpower since about a month after I was laid off from my previous job back in October; and I am getting the Cobra premium reduction. My COBRA is now $338; was $967. If you were laid off after Sept 1, they have to pay 65% of your COBRA, for 9 months. If you declined coverage when you were laid off, they have to offer it to you again. Call the HR department at the company you were laid off from, NOW, today.

More info:

http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/cobra.html

 

[kacaju]

please call your Dr. and explain what is going on. My SIL went through something similar, my brother got a new job and they decided to not get COBRA and just hoped the kids didn't get sick for 3 months.
At 2 months and 29 days my niece got sick and HAD to go to the Dr. her (and mine) ped. told her she should not have waitied and that she should have called and told her what was going on. The Dr. could have helped out with the fees.

 

[Tiggeroo]

My understanding is that you have to be able to collect unemployment to take part in that program.

Yes but even if you are ineligible initially you can collect unemployment after a waiting period. So perhaps that would make them eligible.

 

[themarquis]

You really need to take her to the doctor.

I'm not sure about the logic behind taking her to the ER so you can get a payment plan would be. Unless her symptoms are such that you feel she needs to go to the ER, there are lots of non-er places to take her where you can get a sliding scale or payment plan.

Many doctor's offices or urgent care places can set up a payment plan of some kind with you (or take some money up front and then send a bill to your house). I don't think it's normally the going policy, but believe me that they will do it rather than not getting the money at all.

Actually, it strikes me that if you just took her (does she have a dr. she's seen in the past) and get her evaluated and treated and then when they say how much $$ it is, explain that you can't pay the whole thing up front, that might be the way to go. I have no doubt that it will be embarassing, but your daughter needs to be seen! They're not going to make you pay before she's seen, and after she's seen, well, they're gonna have to work something out with you, because the service has already been provided.

This may sound like crazy advice, but like I said, she needs to be seen, and as her mom it's your job to get her seen even if it takes some kind of creative solution.

Best of luck to you and your DD. As a side-note it sounds like she may have exercise induced asthma, which is very treatable. But it would be very dangerous to just let it go till she ends up being sent to the ER because she can't breathe.